Originally Posted by Mick
Yup, prime example of this stance was with John Prescott, made Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, under Tony Blair, when Labour won a landslide victory in the 1997 General Election. Prescott was also the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions until 2001 in conjunction with his DPM role.
The Deputy Prime Minister, or First Secretary of State, does not assume the duties and powers of the Prime Minister upon their absence, illness, or death.
Boris Johnson is still the Prime Minister and he has asked Dominic Raab to deputise for him. Raab cannot hire and fire people, but he will be the key person to drive home the Prime Ministers and governments agenda, the government consists of the joint Cabinet and they usually make key decisions together. Raab would also not have a weekly audience with Her Majesty, the Queen, like the Prime Minister does.
There is this current claim in the media that there is a power vacuum at Number 10, while yes, we're not quite like other nations, like the United States, having a written Constitution that outlines that if a president becomes incapacitated, it still has a functioning chief executive, Vice president assumes the presidency, under the 25th Amendment, however if both President and Vice President are incapacitated, then the line of presidential succession continues to House Speaker.
The UK has similar lines of succession in the form of Seniority of Cabinet members, should Raab become unwell and have to self isolate, then the Chancellor becomes responsible in the absence of the Prime Minister.
This is to drive home to others, in particular to adversaries, that while, yes there is a sad and emotional human element of temporarily or permanently losing a Prime Minister or President, that it is vital that a country still has a functioning chief executive and it will attack if it is provoked.
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